The Reapers
by Asuterisuku
Summary: Bleach was only a story. The truth was far more deadly. The story of a group of Reapers in New York who discover the ultimate evil. Rated T for violence and strong language.
1. Prologue

Everywhere around the world, people are entranced by a comic named Bleach. I'm surprised by just how accurate this show is, even if it is just a fictional story. To a degree, anyway. There was never an 'Ichigo Kurosaki,' or an 'Orihime Inoue.' But there are Reapers. We most certainly exist. The names for us vary from country to country, such as 'Shinigami,' or 'Death Gods,' in parts of Asia, but we are all essentially the same thing.

Japan is the only division left that still uses swords, as obsessed with the old ways as they are.

And the truth can be far more frightening than a story ever could be, unless you're into Stephen King, that is. It was only five years ago...

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This is the start of a story that I've had in my head for a while, now. I'm not certain how far I'll go, but I'll certainly keep going if you like it! My first Bleach fic, so don't kill me!


	2. No One Will Cry

**I guess I am obliged to get the disclaimer out of the way early.**

**Ahem There is no way in HELL that Bleach is mine. I don't even understand Japanese. I do own, however, all the characters in this story, as well as this plot.**

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**Chapter I  
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**No One Will Cry**

It was just after my twentieth birthday, and I was having one of those oh so rare visits to my Dad's place. For a while it seemed like he barely said anything... to anyone. He would disappear for long periods of time even before Mom died, but these past few months have just been ridiculous. Then he invited me over.

I'm sorry. In my haste, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jared Rayne, although these days most people call me Blue, partly because of my eyes, and partly because of my gun. More on that later. I can run the hundred meters in about ten seconds. I'm the fastest guy in the whole damn state. Oh yeah, and I can see ghosts.

I'd never really made a big deal out of it. I'd see an obituary in the _Times,_ and then see the guy walking in the street the very next day. Living in New York, I've definitely had plenty of opportunity to see them. Along with the monsters they eventually become. And, if I'm lucky, the men in black suits who call themselves Reapers. The ones who fight the beasts.

I had no idea that for all those years, my own father had been guiding the souls of the dead to the next life.

When I pulled my sedan into his driveway somewhere in between Rochester and New York City, I could immediately tell that something was wrong. The pressure I could feel coming from inside was immense. _Just what the hell could produce something like that?_ I wondered. I was seriously afraid of the force that was coming from inside my father's house, but against my better judgement, I went in anyway.

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**That looked SO much longer on my word processor. Ah well. This is just my writing style. Short, and to the point. Read and Review please.**


	3. In a World beyond Controlling

**Repeat disclaimer from previous chapter.**

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**Chapter II**

**In a World beyond Controlling**

I've never been religious, but after that night I have a sneaking suspicion that some deity, in some faith has taken a liking for me. My saviour that night was not the Lord Christ or anything like that, but my own father. Looking back, I can't help but feel responsible for his death.

I opened the door to the massive house that belonged to my father. He didn't spend as much as one would expect on it; He did most of the work himself, only needing money for supplies. He was good with his hands. The pressure I felt coming from inside multiplied, and it was all I could do just to step forward. In the foyer were two men dressed in black suits. It was the outfit of the Reapers. With guns pointed at each other.

One of them was my father.

"Grant me the agility of the gods," he cried, "Red Wing!" Suddenly, his gun was surrounded with a light so bright that I could barely stand to look at it. When the light died down, the gun now carried a red hue that seemed unnatural. I would later learn just how natural it really was. That was when his opponent fired, the shot aimed straight at my father's head... which disappeared in front of my very eyes. The bullet, which I would eventually learn wasn't really a bullet but a collection of energy in the shape of one, buried itself into the wall behind where he was.

Dad reappeared a few feet in front of where he was, and launched a three shot burst before disappearing again, when I realized that he was moving faster than my eyes could register, and I have exceptionally good eyesight, and he seemed to be constantly moving. These bullets were also dodged, but not with the same speed as my father; I could watch his movements, and follow him.

That was when he levelled the weapon on me.

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**Dammit! too short again! Ah well. next chapter will be good, I promise! Complete with more action! Alos, see that blue button? Please press it. Come on. You know you wanna.**


	4. Now and Forever

**Repeat disclaimer. Nuff said.**

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**Chapter III**

**Now and Forever**

It happened too fast. There was no time for me to think, let alone react, when the man in the black suit pulled the trigger. My father had already seen what was going on, and got in between us instantly. He took a bullet in the back, and shot me himself. The bullet pierced my heart. I thought I was going to die.

That's when I noticed something was different. Unnatural. My father was falling, bleeding, dying. I should have been the one dying! He's the one who shot me though the heart! His outfit was changing, losing its darkness, when I realized that I too had changed. I was now wearing the black suit that my father had on only seconds before. It was actually quite comfortable. Almost like wearing nothing at all. Slung across my hip in what appeared to be a modified holster was what looked like a machine pistol. There was a bluish hue in the metal

I heard a thump behind me, and I didn't have to look back to know what it was. It was the sound of my body hitting the ground, hard. I looked back to where my father's attacker had been. There was nothing there but a brilliant golden double door, closed its hinges attached to nothing, vanishing into the darkness. I knelt down beside my father, who seemed to be losing substance by the second.

"So it worked," he said. "Good. I wasn't certain that it would." He took my hand, and said, "You are a Reaper now. You must take my place in the Society, and become strong, but beware the—" he let out a pained groan, and I thought I had lost him. He had one last thing to say, however, and he said it. "Beware the man named Shatner." He groaned again, and simply vanished.

My father, Adrian Rayne, was dead.

If you haven't figured it out already, let me give you a glimpse of my situation:

1: My father is dead,

2: I've had powers thrust upon me that I have no idea about,

3: I'm supposed to be cautious about a guy from an old TV show, and

4: I have no idea just what the hell the Society is.

I don't know about you, but I'd say that that's a pretty shitty situation. And I might not have known it then, but it would only get worse over time, even as I learned more about the world where our souls go as we die.

At that point, I was wondering how the hell I was going to get back into my body so I could hold a funeral service…

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**Depending on what you listen to, you may or may not have noticed that I generally name my chapters after lyrics in Hard Rock / Metal songs. If you have a suggestion for a title, put it in a review or PM, and I'll try to find a chapter that fits it. Remember, the Review button is your friend!  
**


	5. Such a Shame

**Do I really need to repeat the disclaimer? Chances are if you're reading this, you've already read plenty of combinations of words saying the same thing.**

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**Chapter IV  
**

**Such a Shame**

The first thing I did was figure out how the hell to get back into my body. It wasn't that hard. All I had to do was think about being in it, and suddenly, my viewpoint changed. It was like being asleep, and then suddenly waking up. I then went to my car, still disturbed by what I had witnessed inside the house of my father. My cell phone beeped from my pocket.

I don't have a cell phone.

I wondered if the man who killed my father had left it there, or perhaps Adrian himself. I doubted it. They were in my view the entire time. It was a top of the line model, one that hadn't even appeared in stores yet. And what it showed on the abnormally large screen was this: NEW TEXT MESSAGE (1).

It took about two seconds for curiosity to take over. I opened the message, which read as follows:

I'd start driving now if I were you.

A.

Without thinking, I jumped into my car, and immediately realized that I had forgotten my wallet. The phone beeped again, this time saying: Leave it. A. I was beginning to feel a little bit freaked out, considering that whoever was sending these messages knew exactly what was going on in my head. Nevertheless, I started the vehicle and left the driveway of the building that for the longest time was my father's home.

About ten seconds after I left the driveway, I heard a massive explosion from behind me. I give you three guesses as to what it was. The phone was making noise again, this time ringing. I looked at the display. It was an unlisted number. That figures. I pressed the talk button, and was immediately greeted by an over enthusiastic female voice. "Adrian, honey? Is that you?" I dropped the phone in shock, and nearly drove into the ditch. I recognized the voice coming from the other end of the line.

It was my mother.

"_Is it common for Shinigami to retain memories of when they were alive?"_

"_It's… exceedingly rare, actually. Why do you ask?"_

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**In the future, I will use Italics for quotes relavent to this story every once in a while. A cookie to he (or she) who knows the reference in this chapters quote. Another to he who can name the song my chapter title is from: for the first, it was "Life is Beautiful," by Sixx:A.M. Then it was "The Night" by Disturbed, and "Inside the Fire" by the same artist. I'll give you a hint. The guitarist is widely known as THE most innovative guitarist in the world. **

**And remember, the purple button below this text is your friend. I know this story has lots of readers. It wouldn't hurt for some of you to review.**


	6. The Life You're Living

**No one's guessed where the quote and the lyric came from. That makes me sad. While I will reveal that the last chapter's title was from the song Revelations by Audioslave. I'm still gonna keep you guessing on today's lyric, and the quote last chapter.**

**Repeat Disclaimer. Nuff Said. (again)**

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**Chapter V**

**The Life You're Living**

I pulled over in order to pick the phone back up from where it had fallen in between my feet and the pedals. If you know ANYTHING about driving, then you know exactly how bad it is for ANYTHING to be there. I was lucky I made the stop.

I raised the phone to my ear and said, "Who is this?" constantly hoping that I wasn't just imagining my own mother, Amelia Rayne, who has been dead for five months (I still hadn't quite entirely gotten through mourning her) which I know because I was at the goddamn funeral. A Reaper had already done his job. I happened to watch THAT too… well… I saw the Reaper shortly after, anyway. I didn't then know what he was doing back then, and he didn't notice me. I never said I wasn't stealthy.

"It's me, silly. Wait… this is Adrian, right?" My throat clenched. She didn't recognize my voice. She was confusing me with my father. I decided not to let her know that she was speaking with her own son. Instead of saying something such as 'Don't you recognize me?' I went with something far more difficult. I felt like I was about to cry.

Tears held back in my eyes, I said in a voice as sombre as I could manage, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I regret to inform you that Adrian Rayne is dead." I couldn't hold back any longer. I broke down, and began to cry. Now there's a sight to see. I was a grown man driving down the Interstate, with a cell phone in my hand and bawling my eyes out. I was bound to get pulled over soon, because I was quickly becoming a road hazard.

I didn't get pulled over.

Instead, the road was blocked by a gigantic monster that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere (I would later learn that this form of monster is called a Hollow). I slammed on the brakes, but that didn't stop me from hitting the huge creature. Panicking, I looked around me, wondering if others could see it. No one could. Everyone else was either driving right by, or pissed off that I had suddenly stopped. As I looked back in front of me, the sound of a gunshot filled the air, and the monster simply vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

I raised the phone back to my ear and said rather loudly, "What the hell was that?" The reply was hesitant, but it made its point clear.

"I'll answer your questions, if you answer mine regarding Adrian's death."

I was then holding back more tears. I hadn't expected her to bring it up so soon. "All right," I said, "but not here. I want to discuss this somewhere in private."

"Why's that?" Amelia's voice questioned me over the phone.

I answered the only way I could. "Adrian was very close to me," Duh, "and if I talk about him more here, I'm going to lose it. Come to my apartment in two hours. I'm certain we'll be able to work something out."

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**All right, so this chapter's a bit more sappy than I usually write, but it's necessary to keep the story going. Also, I'm used to doing cliffhangers, so this one was weak in comparison. No matter. Read and Review Si Vous Plait, Pour Favor, Please, and whatever other words share their meaning.  
**


	7. Worn Eroded Pride

**I guess there's really not much to say. The last chapter's title was obvious. from the song Dirty Little Thing by Velvet Revolver. I'll let you take a whack at this one.**

**Repeat Disclaimer.**

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**Chapter VI**

**Worn Eroded Pride**

--v--** (A/N: When you see this symbol, it will represent a change in POV. I will not tell you flat who's POV it will be, but if you hang in there, you'll figure it out. Jared's will be the only one in first person.)  
**

He knew he couldn't defy his orders. They were absolute. He was still pissed off. That he was ordered to arrest his best friend, and bring him in for questioning… Sure, he was accused of killing his own father, but still… It felt like he was betraying a trust that had been built over the course of a good many years.

It didn't matter anymore. He took the key that the friend had given him a few years back, and entered his apartment with ease. He knew that his friend should be home at any minute, but he was never a patient man. Instead of grabbing a chair and waiting quietly like he should have, in order to keep his presence a secret, he walked over to the CD rack, knowing that the target wouldn't immediately mind.

--v--

There must have been something about me that the monsters liked, because I was twice more attacked by them on my way back home, both of them killed within seconds by Amelia. I found myself thinking, _Damn, I wouldn't want to piss her off._

The phone then again rang, and this time, my mother gave me a simple explanation. "The Hollow are attracted to you because of the massive sum of energy you're absolutely failing to hide. I wouldn't be surprised if every hollow in Hueco Mundo **(A/N: I will keep the Spanish names, because Spanish is generally used in the US. I will not keep the Japanese names, if that hasn't already been made obvious.)** is after you, and these are just the first to get here."

"Hueco…" I began, but was cut off, by my mom saying, "Yes, I do read Bleach, and yes, Hueco Mundo is a real place. I don't know where Kubo got his info, but in some regards the story is startlingly accurate." She left it at that, and hung up, leaving me to ponder what she had just said.

--v--

He looked through the selection of discs on the rack. _Hmm…_ he thought. _What should I listen to? Let's see… __**Ride the Lightning**__… No, I'm not in the mood. What about __**Revelations**__? Ah! Perfect!_ He took a copy of **Ten Thousand Fists **from the rack, and inserted it into the massive stereo system that his friend had purchased a year ago, and cranked the volume.

Almost immediately, he heard the opening measures of the song of the same name, and began to sing along.

"One more goddamned day…"

--v--

I walked into the apartment building, and climbed easily to my fifth floor room. I think I'm one of the few tenants who actually pays the rent when it's expected. In any case, when I got to my apartment, I could hear my stereo system blasting a song, and my friend Aaron singing along. "… Know… That I am stricken and can't let…" Good old Aaron. He always did have good taste in music. But when I opened the door, he said just about the worst thing he could at that time.

"I'm sorry Jared, but you are under arrest for the murder of Adrian Rayne."

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**I will also let you guess the artists to which the aforementioned Albums belong to, and in what year they were released. That should give you something to do. Don't forget to review.  
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	8. The Hand of Uncertainty

**Finally, a decent length chapter. I shall take this time to let you know that the quote from a few chapters ago was from the Dattebayo subtitles from the movie Bleach: Memories of Nobody. Good movie. I highly recommend that you watch it, along with the second Bleach film, The Diamond Dust Rebellion(The Other Hyourinmaru). I will also tell you that last chapter's title was a bit more obscure, and give you the answer which is Sickman, by Alice in Chains. Today's is going to be easier.**

**Repeat Disclaimer.**

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**Chapter VII**

**The Hand of Uncertainty**

Aaron was fast. Damn fast. I could do nothing but watch as he put on a glove, and rammed me hard through the head. In a few seconds, I was in my Reaper suit, with Aaron behind me, mouthing a few words I couldn't make out and cuffing my hands, having released himself from his own body. It turned out that he was a Reaper himself. _That's new,_ I thought. _There was one right under my nose, and I had no idea…_

I tried to speak, but I couldn't move the muscles in my jaw. Something must have been done to bind it. I suspect it was magic. All I got out was a muffled "Mmmm." It was actually rather embarrassing. Then I saw the door. It was attached to nothing.

--v--

_Well,_ she thought, _this isn't going as planned._ She could say that again. After all, the original plan was to visit Adrian at his post in the living world, and then to return to the Society.

She knew that Adrian was dead, but she had no idea that she was aiding the one who killed him. That couldn't be it, though. After all, if he was the killer, he would have hung up on her as soon as she mentioned Adrian's name. She had to find out more about the situation.

And to do that, she had to follow him.

--v--

How can I describe the society? To put it simply, it looked a lot like New York with a lot less traffic. It looked like an entire city full of men and women in black suits. Some of the people I could see were wearing badges, with a picture of a plant or animal, and a number on them. Not knowing the hierarchy of the area, I wondered what those badges could mean. Does it have to do with their rank?

Aaron led me through a crowd, seeming to hold an air of authority. It was like he had caught a dangerous criminal… Hey, wait a minute… That's right. They blame me for my father's death. They were probably taking my to a trial, where I would plead 'Not Guilty' and I would lose anyway due to false evidence, making the punishment all the worse.

There was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.

I felt a surge of strength run through my limbs. In a sudden spurt of power, I stretched my arms apart, broke the magic imbued shackles, and reached for my gun, all without consciously realizing that I was shouting.

--v--

It was over before he realized a single bit of what was going on.

He thought he heard his prisoner shouting, and people screaming around him, but he couldn't have been. The binding spell that he cast was too strong for him to break. One second he was leading his prisoner through the streets of the society, the next he was lying flat on his chest, feeling like he had had every last drop of energy sucked out of him.

--v--

She looked at the scene of chaos and confusion surrounding her with a sense of wonder. People were lying unconscious in the street as if they had all been suddenly struck in the back of the head (which, ironically, actually happened). The medical corps was working on moving the injured away from the scene. The prisoner was gone, with his captor lying amongst the debris. Buildings were torn asunder. It was absolute madness.

And all of this because of the man that she had helped to get home safely.

Taking this into consideration, she followed the path of destruction set before her.

--v--

I didn't know where I was at all, or how I had gotten there. All I could remember was the power. The sheer power that had been coursing through my body, awakening every particle until I just collapsed. I was only coming to now, and I took a few moments to get a grip on my surroundings. It appeared to be a simple holding cell, bare except for the cot in the corner on which I was lying. I tried to break the bars, only to find out that A: my gun had been confiscated, and B: the bars sapped my strength as long as I was touching them

I quickly came to the realization that everything I had just done was for naught. I was almost about to cry, when the door to the hallway opened.

I had a visitor.

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**Told you it was longer, didn't I? Don't forget to review!**


	9. But He Made it Out

**And the winner is Soul Burst! While I don't think it was the best option myself, I was personally leaning towards Scythe by the end of the two week period, but here you, the fanatics, are the boss. You may notice an oddity in today's chapter name and number. If you can figure it out and tell me in your review, you get a cookie. Finally, last chapters title comes from the song "What I've Done" by Linkin Park, with the albums from a few chapters ago belonged to Metallica, Audioslave, and Disturbed respectively.**

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Chapter VIII-I**

**But He Made it Out…**

"Well, Jared, I must say that you are quite exceptional," my visitor said as he dismissed the guards.

I could not have been more frustrated. My father was dead, they accused me of killing him, and the man who actually DID do it was standing right in front of me, with a smug grin all over his face. I wanted to widen it from ear to fucking ear. "You must have destroyed about a million of your dollars worth of property, and incapacitated around a hundred men before they caught you, collapsed in the middle of the street. I can't say I'm not impressed.

"You're very lucky, you know. If everything had gone as planned, you would be dead already. You'd earned some sympathy from the court with that escape attempt. As it is, your execution will take place in three days. I figured you might want to know the name of the man who put you into this situation, so I'll tell you.

"My name is Myles Shatner," he said as he turned his back to leave.

_Damnit, _I thought as the door slammed shut. _So that's what Dad meant._

---^v---

He awoke after the trial, and he was confused as a sperm whale suddenly coming into existence over the surface of a strange planet. How had his prisoner escaped? All he remembered was someone screaming, and then collapsing to the ground. The captain of the medical squad walked in a few minutes after he woke up. Ironically, this man's name was Mark Restore.

"Ah, Aaron, you're awake. I was beginning to worry about you. You've been unconscious for almost a week.

"You'll be glad to know that Jared was indeed captured, found also unconscious not far from the scene of his escape. His trial was three days ago, and the verdict was ruled guilty. Your money should-"

"He's innocent." Aaron said simply, sharply interrupting the doctor's train of thought. He didn't know how he knew. He just did.

The confused man was, well, confused. "What was that?" he asked.

Realizing that no one was going to believe him (The verdict WAS guilty, after all) Aaron decided to change the topic of conversation.

"Where do they keep the prisoners' weapons?"

---^v---

As I heard the door open, I was expecting a servant or something to walk up to the bars of the cell in which they were holding me. Maybe they were just going to give me some food before my impending execution.

Never in my life was I more glad to be wrong. After all, I was the kind of guy who prided myself in being RIGHT all the time. Standing at the door of my cell was Amelia Rayne. And somehow, she had the key to my cell.

I opened my mouth to say something, but my mother silenced me with a look. I now understood that stealth was key, and followed her silently through the hallway, and out a nearby window.

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He may have grown up from a small purple button to a big gray one, but he's still your friend! Review!


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